1st post! i have just bought a taboo, that im pairing with omega super 3 xrs 93db. i also have a si t-amp (need to buy a power adapter, so have been using batteries, which i believe also gives 6w). the t-amp is way louder than the taboo, i was using a cheap dvd player with a low output voltage (+-0.2v according to the manufacturer) and thought this was the reason, but have just bought a 2v pioneer cd player, and not much if any improvement in volume on the taboo, (i realise 2.3v ideal, would this make a big difference from 2v?). at the moment 10 o'clock on the t-amp is about the same as taboo full vol. does this sound about right or does it sound like something is up with the taboo?

Welcome, and congrats on your aquisition. I can only speculate here, but it sounds like maybe your input tube is a 12AU7 (lower gain) tube instead of a 12AX7. Did you get it new from Decware or used? I also know that there is an early model that required about 3 volts to come to full power. Might it be one of those? With your speakers and a 12AX7 and if your TABOO isn't one of those early ones, the 2 v should be sufficient to get good listening volumes, unless you need it really really loud. You could also try swapping all of the tubes for known good ones. If none of that works, I think a call to Steve is in order. Hope that helps.

thanks for the welcome. the input tube is a jj ecc803s that i believe is a 12ax7. they are all new tubes from decware and i have 2 sets, same with both. the amp is also no3 of the new wood bases so 2.3v. i guess what makes me question is that the taboo at full volume sounds great, the speakers are still relaxed (and too relaxed with soft recordings), whereas with the t-amp once i get to 1 o'clock the speakers start taking strain. i suppose the main question is with the above setup does it sound right that i cant push the speakers to their limit.

Before questioning the Taboo, I'd suspect the "rated" output of the CD player - many of the mainstream commerical products are, shall we say, "elastic" with their specifications.

DaveCan recently brought his Taboo (along with this DIY FE108ES BIBs) over to Planet10's for a listening session. With a Jolida CD player with tube buffered output stage (12AX7 ) directly into the amp, there was plenty of gain & volume for playing on an open sundeck (no neighbours for miles) when using the stock JJ 12AX7 driver - a different presentation of course with lower gain input tubes (12AU7 etc)

i guess thats the problem, short of accepting the manufacturers specs someone with my knowledge of audio and electronics is going to be replacing alot of components! do you know what the jolida cd was outputting, what sensitivity the diy speakers are, and at what position the volume pot was at the loudest you listened to? ???

Hi Nick, Got your mail and thought I'd answer here, I didn't see this post before sorry. My 108's are 90db sens and the Taboo can get them up and pumping no problem. I have all the stock tubes in it and the exact same jj12ax7 that you have, I'm using a Yamaha 5disc cd player 2v rated output straight into the Taboo no pre-amp. For me most of the time at home the volume knob is at about 10 oclock and sometimes I'll listen up to about 1 oclock. I have had it at full blast and it gets loud in my room but not really really loud etc. When I had it over at Dave's (Planet10) as Chris said ,it had plenty of volume set up outside on Dave's deck. I find I listen to music mostly at lower to medium volume if that makes any sence, and the Taboo with the 108's to me is a really amazing combo for that. I wonder if maybe your T amp is pushing more than 6watts? or like Chris said maybe your player is putting out less output than stated etc. Dave

Does your DVD player have a volume control? Or the other thought I had, if you player plays SACDs, and you have it on 5 channel output, you might be playing just 2 of the 5 channels (it's a long shot, but I thought I'd throw it out there).

i spoke to steve last night and he said that the taboo will take a 4-5v input, to really get the volume up. ill try track down a decent preamp at an audio shop thatll let me set my gear up to check as i cant afford to blow more loot on a csp2 at this time. as far as i know the t-amp on batteries is 6w? as for the cd player ill maybe also try test something with a bit more output when i try a preamp.

i know its tricky trying to describe what sort of volume you're hearing, and the different combo of factors ie. my speakers 93db yours 90db, your cd 2v maybe mine less than stated. its all a bit like trying to describe a colour to someone. thanks for the reply and ill keep you posted!

hi scott

its actually a cd player, no sacd, 5 channel. my wife bought me an ipod nano and i traded it in on the pioneer cd (best option they had with 2v, but no volume control) as they wouldnt give me a cash refund and the dvd i was using was apparently 0.2v. i still find it strange, unless the 2v pioneer is also 0.2v, or my hearings shot, why i couldnt hear much if any improvement in volume between the 2 players??!!.

hi mr wrestling no.2

im using the 2 outer (variable) inputs on the taboo and my cd only has one set of outputs. funnily enough i tried the direct inputs today with the volume down, slowly turned the knob and the volume came on strong immediately and then got to the same max volume by the time it was full.